Power Amplifiers

Pro audio power amplifiers are the heart of your pro audio sound system. If you have decided to stick with the tried and true passive loudspeakers, then the power amplifier is a crucial part of your PA or mobile DJ rig. We all know that power amplifiers come in many different power levels, but they also come in a few different types as well, lets have a look....

What I like to call "standard power amplifers" are the pro audio power amplifiers that offer a Class A or Class A/B output device. These amplifiers are capable of great sound quality, but they are typically heavy and they generate a bunch of heat generally due to the fact that they are not the most efficient power amplifiers on the market today. These are what others may call an analog amplifier, and they typically have a heavy toroidal transformer buried deep inside their belly.

Class G, Class D, and Class H power amplifiers are very lightwieght and are usually more efficient then the Class A or Class A/B power amplifiers. These amplifiers can weigh in at under 10 pounds, and still provide your loudspeakers with hundreds, if not thousands of watts of power. There is a drawback to the lightweight. This is up for debate, but many people feel that the lightweight amplifiers can not properly motivate large single or dual eighteen inch subwoofers. I have personally seen this in the early years of these amplifiers, four to six years ago. In the meantime, they have come a very long way, and now it takes a very discerning ear to hear the difference in bass response.